The current interest in today's IT industry results from the knowledge that fourth generation (4G) technologies--next-generation technology especially in mobile telecommunications is leading us to a world that we can hardly fathom. Innovations in mobile technologies can be grasped easily when one looks at the history of mobile phones. 1G, the first phase, can be deemed the analog age; 2G the digital age; and 3G, the age of (data-based) multimedia. The current global mobile telecommunications service is at a stage past the 2G where the 2.5G and 3G exist concurrently. The 3.5G, which would allow a leap to the 4G, has already been developed. Korea is the global leader in 3.5G technology, especially in the areas of WiBro (wireless broadband) and HSDPA (high-speed data packet access). HSDPA is the platform that speeds up the current mobile telecommunications service and allows transmission and reception of large volumes of data, such as video. WiBro is a mobile Internet technology making it possible for ultra high-speed connection while being on the move. The new technology will integrate videos and data telecommunications along with the current voice-based mobile interconnections. The reason that the 4G mobile telecommunications is such a hot topic is that once 4G is realized, we will be able to use three kinds of information -- voice, images, and data -- anywhere anytime. Such unimpeded exchange of information is a prerequisite for the ubiquitous high-tech society. A ubiquitous high-tech society where information can be accessed anywhere and anytime will become a reality only after the 4G technology-inspired IT network is established. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines 4G mobile telecommunications as a system capable of providing a speed of at least 100 megabits per second (Mbps) while recipients are moving at 60 kilometers per hour or faster, and at least 1Gbps at a standstill. This speed amounts to 50 times that of wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), the 3G technique, and it is more than 10 times the speed of the fixedline broadband when not in motion. Due to rapid technological advances and uncertainties in predicting the future, forecasting a comprehensive picture of how people's lives would change in the age of 4G is not an easy. A sketchy forecast, however, is certainly possible when one considers the fact that such a future also depends on how we, at the present time, predict and create it. The biggest change prompted by the 4G technology will be the establishment of an outstanding IT network. ALL-IP (Internet protocol), often described as 'seamless,' will be realized, allowing simultaneously processing of voice, videos, and data to be realized. Such a telecommunications network means the digital convergence currently being implemented by mobile phones, camera phones, MP3 phones to name a few, would evolve into service convergence where broadcasting and telecommunications fuse and the wired and the wireless are integrated. For instance, telecommunications will be integrated into the wired network at home. Voice communication, TV viewing, Internet, movie and music capabilities will become an almost instant reality. A user will be able to download a movie in a fraction of a minute inside a moving car, and enjoy the downloaded movie right then and there. Moreover, the picture quality would be crisp enough for one to see an individual human hair. On a business trips, it will be unnecessary to look for a local area network (LAN) cable connection. Instead, the user will be able to transmit and receive wireless data. Videoconferencing would include three-dimensional (3D) images, allowing users to talk as if they were sitting next to each other. Scenes such as these, which one sees now in scientific fiction movies, will become a reality. In the age of 4G, next-generation devices and high-standard terminals will be introduced. These devices will evolve into various sizes and shapes could be wearable by users, such as a wristwatch mobile phones, a flexible display, and a display that can be worn like eyeglasses. The evolution of input devices will be similar. Input devices more convenient than the currently popular QWERTY-type keyboard will be introduced. Display devices such as holograms will be part of the real world. Once we reach such a stage, it is expected that a mobile phone, a must-have item in the future, will become an all-in-one IT network hub. As functionalities, shapes and designs evolve, the day could come when mobile phones are referred to by a new name. A Single Device for All The mobile phone will evolve into a ubiquitous device, integrating a camera, MP3, DMB-enabled TV, and an exercise and health monitoring device which measures information such as heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, and sugar levels. The user will be able to use the device to connect to a server at home to send, retrieve, receive and modify the accessed data, while also being provided with realtime traffic information, weather reports, and emergency disaster information. Moreover, it will be integrated with other devices, acting as the central processing unit that controls all the other devices. A home network is a case in point. It will be unnecessary to worry about forgetting to shut off the gas valve or to lock the doors before leaving the house because you will be able to do it with your phone. The phone will be able to control all home appliances. The age of a remote control unimpeded by location will come into use at work and education alike. Students will save time needed for commuting as they take classes from home. It will become possible to listen to lectures given overseas. The same goes for corporate environment. When an individual goes on a trip overseas, he or she will be able to work as if they were in their home country. They can also report to work from home. Medical examinations, treatments, financial transactions and administrative services will be introduced through similar fashions Single-Line Communication Channels As one is able to do anything with a single device, communication will become even more convenient and simplified. For instance, two-way communications between digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) broadcasters and viewer will be possible. During the IFA 2005, an exhibition of broadcasting and consumer electronics held in Berlin, Germany, a two-way terrestrial DMB service was demonstrated and will debut as the world's fist during next year's FIFA World Cup in Germany. This service, in practice, would allow users to predict the match outcome while watching a World Cup football match, in a two-way communication. Things that could be done only through multiple channels, such as TVs and the Internet, will be done through a single channel. A 4G device would also act as a simultaneous interpreter. The 4G device will break down communication barriers by providing translation and interpretation functions. Moreover, a functionality that recognizes sign language and converts it into spoken language will also be introduced. One-Stop Scheme As the age of 4G descends on us, tickets and documents made out of paper will become obsolete. When users are able to download electronic tickets and passports with a mobile device, the checkin procedure at the airport for trips will become much easier. Everything from country departure procedures to the actual boarding will processed swiftly in one-stop. Also, a mobile device equipped with a health checkup device can measure the user's blood pressure or diabetes count and send the information to the user's physician's network. Upon receiving the measured data, the user's physician can make a diagnosis and send back the result to the device. A mobile phone three years from now will become a portable doctor and omnipotent medical device enabling the user to check his or her health condition from home, work, or anywhere around the world. The two-way DMB service should also facilitate the shopping process. For example, if a viewer is interested in the clothes worn by a certain character of a soap opera, the viewer can simply push a button and receive information about the clothes. If he or she wishes to make a purchase, the same device would take him or her to a shopping mall right away. The whole process of watching a soap opera, moving to a linked shopping mall, and buying a product will take place in a seamless in one-stop fashion. In addition, such shopping mall can be realized as a virtual reality, providing an experience to the user as if he or she is actually shopping at a physical mall. Ubiquitous High-Tech Society Although it is very difficult to imagine at the moment, the most important characteristic of the 4G will be ubiquitous intelligent computing. In the age of ubiquitous computers that are 'hidden' in various facets of our lives, the devices will provide services that we want anywhere, anytime. A network that links and controls intelligent computing features that automatically detect human emotion and actions will only become possible with the 4G technology. Since such a relationship with intelligent computing is a different subject altogether deserving a discussion of its own, it was mentioned briefly here and left for posterity. World Becomes One Once the 4G mobile telecommunications proliferates commercially worldwide and secures a firm foundation, the world will ultimately be served by one single network. Wherever you are, you will be able to connect to others and exchange information with them with a 4G device. Thanks to 3D video, you can talk to others face to face regardless of their location in the world. All it takes is one device that would connect you to the Internet, TV, and telephone communication for a quick and easy access worldwide, wherever you may happen to be. Such a future is being predicted based on the present and there is certainly a possibility that changes will go beyond our predictions. Even such unimaginable changes are also the ones we are creating with our efforts. The more we try, the more entertaining and prosperous our lives will become.